title: Sulphite : cytochrome c oxidoreductase deficiency in Campylobacter jejuni reduces motility, host cell adherence and invasion.
abstract: Campylobacter jejuni lacks the enzyme phosphofructokinase and, consequently, is incapable of metabolizing glucose. Instead, the pathogen uses a number of other chemicals to serve as electron donors. Like chemolithotrophic bacteria, C. jejuni is able to respire sulphite in the presence of a sulphite : cytochrome c oxidoreductase (SOR) that is encoded by the genes cj0004c and cj0005c; the former encodes a monohaem cytochrome c oxidoreductase and the latter a molybdopterin oxidoreductase. After screening of a transposon-based mutant library, we identified a mutant with an insertion in gene cj0005c that was strongly reduced in its capacity to infect Caco2 cells. Further characterization of a corresponding non-random knockout mutant together with a complemented mutant and the parental strain showed the cj0005c-deficient mutant to exhibit clearly reduced motility and diminished adherence to host cells. Furthermore, the transcription of genes responsible for the synthesis of, in particular, legionaminic acid was downregulated and the mutant had a reduced capacity to autoagglutinate. In contrast, neither the proliferation of the mutant, nor its intracellular ATP content, was altered compared to the parental strain.
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Göttingen, Institute for Medical Microbiology, Kreuzbergring 57, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: A Malik
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tareen
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Göttingen, Institute for Medical Microbiology, Kreuzbergring 57, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Javid Iqbal
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Dasti
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Göttingen, Institute for Medical Microbiology, Kreuzbergring 57, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Zautner
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Göttingen, Institute for Medical Microbiology, Kreuzbergring 57, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Groß
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Göttingen, Institute for Medical Microbiology, Kreuzbergring 57, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Raimond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lugert
mesh_terms: D000371:Agglutination / Q000235:genetics; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018938:Caco-2 Cells / Q000382:microbiology; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*; D002465:Cell Movement; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000378:metabolism*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D013447:Sulfites / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C110570:5,7-diacetamido-8-O-acetyl-3,5,7,9-tetradeoxy-glycero-talo-nonulosonic acid; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D012794:Sialic Acids; D013447:Sulfites; D045304:Cytochromes c; D010088:Oxidoreductases